In a surprising turn of events at Ball Arena, the New York Knicks dealt a devastating blow to the Denver Nuggets, defeating them 145-118 on Monday night. After the game, Jamal Murray didn’t hold back his words when expressing his concerns about the team’s overall performance, pointing out a glaring lack of focus and energy.
Murray articulated the seriousness of the situation, saying: “It’s a long season. Players have lives off the field. We’re coming off a win against LA, and some of us chose to stay in the city As I mentioned, focus was lacking across the board, which inevitably leads to these results.
“Let me be clear, it’s not about the coach or the strategies we employed; the responsibility lies solely with those of us on the field,” Murray said. “It’s a bitter pill to swallow, especially when it comes to a performance that we all needed to improve on. If we start a game with that kind of energy and we can’t channel a response, we We find ourselves in situations like this I have experienced the downside of a match, and tonight, unfortunately, we fell on the wrong side of the scales.
Murray’s postgame remarks were met with mixed reactions, particularly from frustrated Nuggets fans. The 27-year-old unwittingly suggested that teammates who chose to stay in Los Angeles after the win over the Lakers were partly to blame for the loss.
To make matters worse, Murray’s own actions earlier this month didn’t help his cause. He made headlines by flying to New York to attend UFC 309 between the Nuggets’ games against the Pelicans and Grizzlies, and his performances reflected a decline in form; he failed to reach 20 points in either of the two games which led to defeats.
This sparked criticism regarding his self-consciousness after such a poor performance. In response to the controversy, Murray spoke out on as a collective tonight.”
Still, accountability is in order, especially given Murray’s modest numbers in that game — 20 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and just one steal, with shooting percentages of 46.2 percent from the field, 20% at three points, and 77.8% on free throws. The Nuggets are now 9-7 in the 2024-25 season, with Murray’s current averages at just 17.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game, all at mediocre shooting rates of 40.2% and 33.7% from distance.
After signing a four-year, $208 million contract extension this offseason, concerns are growing about whether this investment in Murray was wise. But many still believe in his ability to turn things around — hopefully before it’s too late for the Nuggets.
Next up, Murray and his teammates take on the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET, where they will look to bounce back from this discouraging loss. They had previously triumphed over the Jazz by a significant margin of 26 points, and fans are expecting nothing less than a resounding victory once again.
